Is Prevelle Painful?

I had Juvederm injections well over six months ago. All is gone except a long "roll" down the side of my mouth. I felt that the Dr. was very "heavy handed" and tended to load up in a certain area trying to empty the syringe quickly because I was in so much pain. I'm very leery of having it again because of the pain. (I gave birth with just a Valium!) This pain was horrible!!! Now I'm thinking of getting Prevelle instead. Is this as painful? Or do you think it may have been how is was administered? I'm talking PAIN!!!! Thanks.

Doctor Answers 7

It's the Filler, not the Filler!

September 26th, 2008

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Hi I,

Sorry that you had to suffer through that experience. Anything that is injected rapidly is painful. The thicker the product injected, usually the more discomfort involved (i.e. Juviderm Ultra-Plus is more painful than Juviderm Ultra). There are ways to ease the discomfort of injections. Local nerve blocks are very effective. Topical anesthesia helps a little. The area can be iced immediately prior to the injection.

Preville Silk is hyaluronic acid filler that has local anesthesia. It is also a thinner product, and does not last as long as Restylane or Juviderm. Patients do feel the initial needle stick until the anesthesia takes effect. What some injectors do is lay down a small amount of Preville Silk, and once the area is anesthetized use a longer lasting filler in the same area.

I would find a physician experienced in facial filler injections who knows how to make patients as comfortable as possible. You should not tolerate a "filler" who is in a hurry or whose injections are worse than giving birth to your babies. Be well.

Minimal pain with fillers

March 14th, 2011

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Fillers should not be a traumatic experience! There are many ways to prevent pain during injection of fillers, and it should really be a minimally uncomfortable process. Before injection, you can have topical anesthetic cream applied to the skin, or local anesthetic injected near the nerves that provide sensation to the area being treated. Icing before injection also tends to give a numbing effect, and also temporarily shrinks blood vessels and thereby helps minimize bruising. During injection, your surgeon can use a filler that is formulated with anesthetic in the product itself. That way, as soon as the product is injected, it temporarily numbs the surrounding area. Prevelle Silk has anesthetic in the product itself, and in my experience patients really like it. Please note that Juvederm and Restylane also come in versions that include an anesthetic in the formula (Juvederm Ultra XC, Juvederm Ultra Plus CX, and Restylane L). I have found that topical anesthetic, and the use of a formula with anesthetic in the product (all of the above are good options), together offer the patient a very comfortable experience. Even in anxious or nervous patients, numbing cream followed by injection of one of the above products works really well at preventing pain. Patients who have had an experience like yours are shocked at how easy the process can be. The skill and technique of your injector does play an important role, and some surgeons are more heavy-handed than others. If you are unhappy with your results after Juvederm, Prevelle, or Restylane injection (such as the ridge you describe), you can always have the product dissolved with injection of hyaluronidase. This tends to work better the earlier it is performed. Good luck!

Pain is generally reflective of the person behind the needle...

September 28th, 2008

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Although there is a certain degree of discomfort associated with all facial injectables, good injection technique can make this experience tolerable. Even though there is no way to guarantee zero pain, your injector should be able to offer various ways in which to numb you before treatment (e.g.: ice, topical numbing, or nerve blocks). Precise, deliberate injections should help minimize both discomfort as well as swelling and provide you with a result that is optimal and discomfort that is acceptable.

Assuming your initial HA filler was the Juvederm without lidocaine, a "heavy-handed" injection technique can indeed add even more pain, especially in the face, where sensitive nerve endings abound! Gentle technique, and lidocaine-added HA fillers (the brand doesn't really matter, though there ARE differences you should discuss with your doctor--not the nurse at the spa) will help to make this procedure less painful. Ice ahead of time or use of topical anesthetic creams (available by prescription from your doctor) also help to take the edge off the initial needle sticks.

As you know, the best technique involves lots of tiny injections rather than a few that just shoot in a big blob of filler. (Read other posts that ask about lumps and how long they take to "go away.") Easing the discomfort of multiple injections is accomplished with the lidocaine-added formulations. Most patients find them helpful, even if there is a slight cost differential. I suspect that with competition, these formulations will become the "standard" ones, and the price points will diminish as well.

The key is finding an experienced injector that listens to your concerns, and takes the time necessary to do the best and most comfortable job possible. Lowest price is not necessarily the optimal way to make this choice!

Prevelle is not very painful when injected gently.

September 2nd, 2010

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Most of my patients do really well with Prevelle after topical anesthetic cream or just some ice. It does not hurt as much when injected into the lips as other fillers. Prevelle has local anesthetic mixed in it, it is very liquid and is injected with a very small needle that limits the speed of injection.

I would wait until the other filler is gone and then give Prevelle a try with a plastic surgeon who is patient and gentle. These injections require a lot of finesse and a soft touch (like mine).

Solution to painful soft tissue filler injections

February 27th, 2010

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Prevelle is a hyaluronic acid that is used a soft tissue filler. It has lidocaine in the syringe, so it is much more comfortable than fillers without lidocaine. It is not very thick, so I use it exclusively for the lower and upper eyelids, where it will last a long time and produce good results.

I do not use it for the nasolabial folds or marionette lines. The good news is that Juvederm just released a new formulation, Juvederm Ultra XC, that contains lidocaine. Juvederm is excellent for the nasolabial folds and marionette lines and should solve your problem. Hope this helps.

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